Harriet Tubman
.... weight and threw it towards Jim. The weight hit Harriet in the forehead instead, and Jim got away.4 Luckily, Harriet survived her near-death experience. ³The mark on Harrietıs forehead remained a visible scar of the brutality of slavery. The wound went deep into her heart.² (Bentley p.24) In 1849, Harrietıs master, Edward Brodess died, and she and the rest of the slaves on the plantation were to be sold into a chain-gang. The risks were high, but Harrietıs mind was made up, she would run away to the North. ³There are two things Iıve got a right to, and these are death and liberty. One or the other I mean to have.² (Tubman p.39) Harriet escaped from the plantation with her brother. A few hours into the trip Harrietıs brother got scared of being captured, so Harriet and him had to return. The next night Harriet fled alone into the forest. She was given food and shelter by many whites and blacks against slavery, along the Underground Railroad. When she finally did reach Philadelphia, the free-land, Harriet said, ³I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now I was free. There was such a glory over everything...I felt like I was in heaven. (Tubman p.46) 5 It didnıt take long for Harriet to realize that the north wasnıt so ³heavenly² after all. Harrie! t commented that Philadelphia was more restrictive to blacks than New England was. An example of this is, one hot day an ice cream parlor refused to serve her because she was black. 6 Harriet was quickly able to find jobs around the city. She must have been overjoyed with her freedom to quit one job and look for another whenever she wanted to. Since childhood Harriet played an active role in the fight against slavery. Although she could have rested easy and enjoyed her freedom, she continually risked her life to bring her family and friends north. ³She would not be happy, she knew, until her peopleı were free.² (Bentley p.48) In other words, I believe Harriet could not be content to enjoy her freedom alone. Harrietıs first rescue mission was for her family. Harriet asked for the help of a free black man named John Bowley. Harriet told him that if he would bring his wife and kids to Baltimore, she would get them to Canada.7 And that she did. She brought over 300 slaves to freedom, along the Underground Railroad. Curiously, the exact amount of trips she took back south appear to be different in every book I read. It ranged from 18 to 20 trips. Think about that... Imagine yourself a fugitive slave, on the run from the law. Would you go back to some place that you had worked so hard to break free from? Well, Harriet! did, and was 100% successful. Out of all those trips, not one time did she get caught or lose one of the slaves. One of the books on Harriet said she even carried a gun and threatened to shoot anyone that wanted to turn back. Yes, there was something more than the hate of slavery that drove Harriet. I believe it was Harrietıs burning desire to see all her people free. The passion she felt when she gained her own freedom seemed to dull her fears and propel her mission. Many people preach and give speeches about things that they feel are wrong. I know Harriet Tubman believed with her whole heart slavery was wrong. She could have just stood around and complained about it, but instead she did something about it. In Harrietıs time slavery was considered politically correct by many, yet Harriet knew, without a doubt, slavery was immoral. Slavery was a sin! ³Nothing can be politically right that is morally wrong.² (Ben Rush, 1786) Anyway you look at it, slavery was just plain wrong. No human being belongs to another. The blacks may have looked different than everyone else but they were not objects to buy and sell at a white manıs disposal. The slaves were not treated as human beings, but as animals, whipped and beaten by their inhumane masters. Slaves were even branded by a hot iron so their owners could keep track of them. 8 Slaves were also used for economic purposes. Many people felt justified in owning slaves because it helped the economy.! Some even argued that blac...